1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of cutting ribs, and more specifically, a method of cutting larger ribs to make at least two smaller ribs of a more manageable size.
2. Description of the Prior Art
According to the NPPC Pork Quality Standard, the quality of fresh pork varies greatly. The quality levels appear differently to consumers, taste differently when cooked, and perform differently when converted to processed products. High quality pork has greater monetary value than low quality pork, and the quality can be evaluated by simple visual appraisal. Therefore, it is important that pork appear to have a higher quality in order to have a higher monetary value.
Pork carcasses are typically butchered into several main cuts or sections including the loin, shoulder, ham, and belly sections. A loin section is that portion of a side of pork remaining after the shoulder, ham, belly and fatback have been removed. The loin section may also include the blade bone with its overlying flesh. Several individual cuts or portions may be taken from the loin section of the hog including bladeless loin, center cut loin, boneless loin, Canadian back, back ribs and country style ribs. The bladeless loin is the remaining portion of the loin section after the blade bone and related cartilage and overlying flesh have been removed. The center cut loin is prepared by removing the shoulder end and the ham end of the loin section to leave not more than eight ribs. Chops are typically prepared from the bladeless loin and the center cut loin by making cuts generally perpendicular to the longitudinal length of the loin.
Alternatively, the loin section may be used to prepare boneless loin, Canadian back, tenderloin, back ribs and country style ribs by cutting the loin section longitudinally from the shoulder end of the loin towards the ham end of the loin. The tenderloin is generally prepared by cutting the loin section longitudinally to remove the meat lying ventral to the back ribs towards the ham end of the loin. The remaining loin section includes the back ribs and the semispinalis muscle. The semispinalis muscle is generally the meaty tissue above the back ribs opposite the tenderloin. Boneless loin cuts and the back rib cuts are generally prepared by cutting or deboning the remaining loin sections between the semispinalis muscle and the back ribs, adjacent to the back ribs, to form the boneless loin cut and the back ribs cut. The boneless loin cut generally includes the entire semispinalis muscle separated from the back ribs. The boneless loin cut is typically further processed to provide Canadian bacon, boneless pork loin roast, boneless rolled and tied roasts or butterfly pork chops.
The back rib cut consists of rib bones and related intercostal meat. Each back rib section is intact and includes portions of at least ten ribs. Back rib cuts are generally sold as a single intact rib section which may be prepared and consumed with various sauces. Although the back rib cut is merely a by-product from deboning the loin section, the demand for the back rib cuts has increased dramatically in recent years due to the increase in demand for xe2x80x9cfinger food.xe2x80x9d However, because back rib cuts typically contain only intercostal meat between the rib bones, conventional back rib cuts do not include a substantial amount of meat. In addition, the intercostal meat is not easily accessible and is generally more difficult to consume. Consequently, conventional back rib cuts are difficult to consume and do not provide a substantial amount of meat or servings to meet the increased demand for the back rib cuts.
Pork spare ribs are further divided and sold as either St. Louis style spare ribs or breast bone spare ribs. St. Louis style spare ribs generally comprise the upper part of a rib separated from the breast bone or brisket bone by costal cartilage. St. Louis style ribs include the two ribs from the shoulder end and the brisket portion and is typically about 1xc2xc to 2xc2xc pounds. Because of the generally meatiness and minimal fat associated with the St. Louis style ribs, there is a greater demand for St. Louis style ribs that are consequently more profitable for food providers. However, a St. Louis style rib is often still too large and therefore less marketable to consumers.
The breast bone portion of the spare ribs removed from the St. Louis style spare ribs includes the sternum or hard bone, costal cartilage, soft bones, skirt meat, false lean hanging fat and other tissue. Typically, the breast bone portion is trimmed to remove the skirt meat containing small meaty pieces, otherwise known as rib tips. The remaining breast bone portion contains the hard bone, a large percentage of fat and the soft bones that infiltrate most of the breast bone portion. The soft bones, otherwise known as cartilage bones, are separated from one another by pork meat and tunnel fat. Consequently, trimming away any remaining meat from between the soft bones is difficult. As a result, the remaining breast bone portion is typically viewed as an off-fall product, and is not considered desirable by consumers or food producers and is sold at a much lower price.
It is generally desirable to have ribs including more meat and less fat but having a more manageable size for consumers.
In a preferred embodiment method of cutting a rib, a rib includes a brisket portion, a tail portion, and a shoulder end having two rib sections. The brisket portion is removed from the rib and the tail portion is removed from the rib thereby yielding a remaining rib portion. After the brisket portion and the tail portion have been removed from the rib, the remaining rib portion has a center dividing the remaining rib portion longitudinally. Finally, the remaining rib portion is sectioned longitudinally down the center thereby yielding two spare rib portions from the remaining rib portion.
In another preferred embodiment method of cutting a rib, a rib includes a brisket portion, a tail portion, and a shoulder end having two rib sections. The brisket portion is removed from the rib and the tail portion is removed from the rib thereby yielding a remaining rib portion. After the brisket portion and the tail portion have been removed from the rib, the remaining rib portion has a center dividing the remaining rib portion longitudinally. Then, the two rib sections on the shoulder end are removed from the remaining rib portion, and the remaining rib portion is sectioned longitudinally down the center thereby yielding two spare rib portions from the remaining rib portion. Finally, the two spare rib portions are sectioned laterally thereby yielding smaller sections of the two spare rib portions.
In another preferred embodiment method of cutting a rib, a rib includes a brisket portion, a tail portion, and a shoulder end having two rib sections. The brisket portion is removed from the rib and the tail portion is removed from the rib thereby yielding a remaining rib portion. After the brisket portion and the tail portion have been removed from the rib, the remaining rib portion has a center dividing the remaining rib portion longitudinally. Then, the two rib sections on the shoulder end are removed from the remaining rib portion, and the remaining rib portion is sectioned longitudinally down the center thereby yielding two spare rib portions from the remaining rib portion.
In another preferred embodiment method of cutting a rib, a rib includes a brisket portion, a tail portion, and a shoulder end having two rib sections. The brisket portion is removed from the rib and the tail portion is removed from the rib thereby yielding a remaining rib portion. After the brisket portion and the tail portion have been removed from the rib, the remaining rib portion has a center dividing the remaining rib portion longitudinally. Then, the remaining rib portion is sectioned longitudinally down the center thereby yielding two spare rib portions from the remaining rib portion. Finally, the two spare rib portions are sectioned laterally thereby yielding smaller sections of the two spare rib portions.
In a preferred embodiment method of cutting a rib, a rib includes a brisket portion, a tail portion, and a shoulder end having two rib sections. The brisket portion is removed from the rib and the tail portion is removed from the rib thereby yielding a remaining rib portion. Finally, the remaining rib portion is sectioned longitudinally thereby yielding at least two spare rib portions from the remaining rib portion.